Monday, September 30, 2013

No pictures for this one

Last week at my annual dermatology checkup*, I ended up having my first ever mole biopsy. I've had a few moles removed – always at my request – but never a biopsy. So I didn’t realize that the doctor was going to use what was essentially a small melon baller tool on me. I don’t know what I expected, but that wasn’t it!

She told me to keep the wound covered and to daub Vasoline on it before I put the bandage on it. And being the very compliant person I am, I did just that.

Now I should mention that I react poorly to latex so I already use latex-free bandages. But I knew something else in those bandages also bothered me and it’s gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. Turns out I, along maybe half the population, get contact dermatitis from the adhesive on the bandages. I know my skin is pretty sensitive. I get contact dermatitis from most soaps used in public restrooms, sometimes my rings trigger it, and I definitely cannot wear nickle-based earrings. But I hadn't put it together that in addition to latex, my skin was also reacting to the adhesive.

For the last week, I’ve rotated the fresh bandage in a counter-clockwise direction. My hope was that I could spread the expsure around and let the reacting skin calm down before I had to put a bandage on there again. My strategy didn’t really work so well. In addition to having the round melon baller wound, I now have radiating spokes of very angry red welts coming out from the circular wound – it’s almost like a sunbeam only it’s not a very happy sunbeam.

So no pictures because frankly, it’s kind of gross looking. But the good news is the mole was utterly benign.

*You do get an annual checkup with a dermatologist, right? Skin cancer is no joke.